Shloka 21
Adhyaya 11 — Draupadī’s Grief, Demand for Justice, and Bhīma’s Departure
पाणए्डुपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरसे ऐसा कहकर सुन्दरी कृष्णा भीमसेनके पास आयी और यह उत्तम वचन बोली--'प्रिय भीम! आप क्षत्रिय-धर्मका स्मरण करके मेरे जीवनकी रक्षा कर सकते हैं
pāṇḍuputra-rājā yudhiṣṭhiram evaṃ uktvā sundarī kṛṣṇā bhīmasenasya samīpam āgatā, sā cottamaṃ vacanam idam abravīt— “priya bhīma! tvaṃ kṣatriya-dharmam anusmṛtya mama jīvanasya rakṣāṃ kartum arhasi.”
Having spoken thus to King Yudhiṣṭhira, the beautiful Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) came to Bhīmasena and addressed him with noble words: “Beloved Bhīma, remembering the duty of a kṣatriya, you are able—and ought—to protect my life.” The appeal frames protection of the vulnerable as a direct obligation of warrior-ethics amid the crisis of war’s aftermath.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṣatriya-dharma is not merely valor in battle but the moral obligation to protect life—especially when the vulnerable seek refuge. Draupadī frames Bhīma’s strength as a duty-bound capacity for safeguarding, turning personal appeal into an ethical imperative.
After speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira, Draupadī approaches Bhīma directly and urges him to remember his warrior-duty and protect her life. The scene highlights urgency and reliance on Bhīma’s protective role amid the tense events of the Sauptika episode.